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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. season — in sport
  12. rest — a break
  13. season — of the year
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bank — for money
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bank — for money
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bank — of a river
  23. roll — a list
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com